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I-Team: Rogue Renters

A NEWS4 I-Team undercover investigation into a growing problem that might be right in your own neighborhood. The I-Team’s Tisha Thompson investigates illegal boarding homes. This story was published April 27, 2012 - 7:15 a.m. (Published Monday, April 30, 2012)

Do you know who’s living next door?

Tonight, a NEWS4 I-Team undercover investigation into a growing problem that might be right in your own neighborhood.

Whether you’re a landlord, renter or just a regular homeowner, it’s an issue affecting us all.

The I-Team’s Tisha Thompson investigates illegal boarding homes.

Producer: “Hey.”

Amy Meinbresse: “How’s it going.”

Producer: “Amy?”

This woman is showing us a room for rent inside this Fairfax home.

Amy Meinbresse: “This is Tom Salvato.”

Producer: “Derrell. Nice to meet you.”

Using his middle name and wearing a hidden camera, our I-Team producer answered an ad on Craigslist.

“If you have more than four unrelated persons in the house, you're in an illegal situation," says Fairfax County Board Supervisor Pat Herrity.

He says the county's received about 800 illegal boarding home complaints at last count, leading the government to create a strike team.

"There are health issues,” Herrity explains. “There's zoning issues, there's building code issues. There are police issues. There are fire issues. The strike team pulls all those disciplines together to go address the problem."

Tisha Thompson: "We've been getting complaints that you guys are running an illegal boarding house.”

Tom Salvato: “That's ridiculous. We have two people living here."

Tisha Thompson: "Here's the thing, you just showed the house to a guy..

Tom Salvato: “Right.”

Tisha Thompson: “And Amy just told him that you have eight people living here right now.”

Tom Salvato: “Well, we don't have eight people living here. So, she's speaking completely out of context. We have two people, one is moving out."

Tisha Thompson: "You're advertising the property, saying, ‘Hey, come stay at our place on Craigslist. It's cheap. It's easy.’ But we hear you guys are about to be evicted. So, you're showing places to folks?”

Tom Salvato: “We have been evicted."

After that interview, Meinbresse emailed us saying the eight people she referred to were her kids and just two renters.

But the government sent a violation notice that states the county also found at least nine unrelated people living in the house.

As you heard, Salvato and Meinbresse admit they're being evicted.

But we'll show you in our next report, eviction doesn't always solve the problem.

See why the county called the NEWS4 I-Team for help and how one legislator wants to change the law to protect everyone.